Wrong Neighborhood II

1. Beberapa jiran saya berebut-rebut mengubahsuai rumah baru mereka. Kebanyakan membuat pengubahsuaian tanpa mendapatkan kelulusan MBSA.

2. Baru-baru ini ada jiran yang telah menerima amaran dari MBSA. MBSA mohon mereka "submit plan" selain dijanjikan denda 20 kali ganda!

3. Dan ada jiran yang memberitahu saya "Ini mestilah ada orang yang melaporkan kepada MBSA!" Bila sudah acap kali dikatakan kepada saya, maka terasalah saya bahawa mereka mengesyaki kami yang membuat kerja itu. Kebetulan a. zaujah lulusan dan mengajar senibina b. zaujah menolong menguruskan kelulusan plan (sebab arkitek yang diupah ARO lembab) c. zaujah bantu urusan CF d. kami tidak melakukan apa-apa pengubahsuaian. Malangnya kami yang kurang berwang disalahanggap begitu!

4. Baru-baru ini jiran sebelah mahu membina a water feature (di pagar bersama) dan anjung di sebelah rumah saya. Aturan MBSA, dia perlu mendapatkan persetujuan saya selain perlu mematuhi beberapa syarat spesifikasi yang telah dilonggarkan.

Jiran mahu membina bumbung anjung sehingga 2 kaki dari pagar bersama. Set back sisi sebenar yang dibenarkan 10 kaki dari pagar. Rumahnya dah dibina cukup-cukup set back itu. Kalau 2 kaki set back dan tak pasang gutter dan hujan lebat, air atap 20 kaki lebar akan masuk ke kawasan kami. Zaujah tak setuju set back 2 kaki "Ni kawasan banglo. Bukan kawasan setinggan nak buat bumbung rapat-rapat. Kalau kita pun buat sampai 2 kaki dari pagar, masyaAllah teruknya serupa kawasan setinggan dan bukannya kawasan perumahan kotaraya terancang! Tanah depannya masih banyak (dari front set back), kenapa tak buat ke depan."

Zaujah mahu tengok dulu pelan. Jiran tak mahu bagi. Tapi jiran hantar borang persetujuan dan merayu-rayu saya tandatangani bagi dia buat set back 2 kaki. Pening saya as kami nak lama berjiran!

Setelah dua hari dan berbincang dengan teman-teman arkiteknya, zaujah setuju t.t. dengan syarat jarak antara pagar dan bumbung tak kurang dari 4 kaki. (Kelonggaran yang boleh ditutup mata dan tidak didenda oleh MBSA ialah 5 kaki.)

Zaujah serahkan sendiri borang persetujuan pagi ini.

5. Sedang saya memandu ke pejabat, jiran saya called mengamuk! "Apalah nak dengki pada saya! Saya buat atas tanah saya sendiri, bukan masuk tanah you. Tanah you masih luas etc etc ..." Kebetulan di kawasan yang dia nak buat extension kami lapangkan dulu sehingga 30 kaki.

"MBSA longgarkan sampai 3 kaki (tapi kena denda 20 kali ganda). Tapi your wife minta lebih dari MBSA. Your wife lebih dari penguatkuasa MBSA etc etc...."

Macam-macam lagi amukannya. Macam-macam semburan. Sempat mengungkit beri tuition kepada anak saya (charge sikit, ajar ikhlas) etc, etc ....

6. Saya relaks dengar aje dan kata "Sabarlah Doc......! It took me dua hari memujuk zaujah untuk sain. Untung juga dia mahu sain. Kita bincang lagi malam ni over teh tarik. Berilah saya salinan peraturan MBSA biar senang saya memujuk zaujah".

7. Tak lama kemudian zaujah called "Saya kena serangan (telefon)!......"

"....... Saya setujulah kurangkan kepada 3 kaki just mengenangkan isterinya a TKCian juga dan baik hati!"

"Alhamdullillah! Buat apalah nak bergaduh..." Kalau tak, saya kena serang dari dua tempat pula.

Kami kira baiklah tak bawa dia ke court kerana pekerjanya tabur simen (ketika plaster pagar) ke rumput karpet baru.. (Baru tabur pasir. Kena simen, jadi konkrit le di sesetengah tempat!). Kalau tak jadilah kes Noraini vs Masitah!

Now saya faham mengapa rakyat Johor begitu sensitif bila Singapura buat land reclaimation dan mula merapati pantai kita!

8. Nasib jiran sayalah.... Jiran sebelah kanan graduate architect with strong principles ikut real by-laws dan jiran sebelah kiri 2 lawyers. All bercakap pakai facts, laws dan by-laws.

9. Hopefully dia boleh compromise dengan "longgaran berdenda" set back 3 kaki. Yang susahnya saya yang tersepit antara jiran dan zaujah!

10. Ralabu dan Sam tentunya lebih faham mengenai set backs dan by-laws ni.

Alhamdullillah

1. My youngest talkative daughter, S Marsya, spent her first 2.5 years of primary schooling in Australia. She picked up Australian English extremely fast as the school she went has a special remedial program for non-English speaking students. She did well in that school. English becomes her natural language...

2. When my family returned to Malaysia, she had a hard time to adjusting herself to the Malaysian schooling system. For a long time, she was clueless when people around her spoke in BM. Unfortunately, Malaysian schools do not have a special program teaching BM for English-speaking students.

Although she quickly befriended English-speaking students at the school, her performance at school was badly affected. Her BM mark was around 20% for several terms initially. She did not do well in BM and subjects that were taught in BM. Except for English, her performance in Science and Mathematics which were taught in English was average. We sent her to extra classes (tuition) but the improvement was so slow.

Sometimes I have been wondering what went wrong, what had happened to this good student, were we wrong to bring her along to stay in Australia, etc etc. In fact, I was totally surprised when her class teacher told me recently that she was a quiet student.

3. She sat for UPSR this year. My wife and I did not expect any excellent results from her although we prayed hard to Allah. We did not put any pressure on her but have been encouraging her and telling her that she is a good student. We will be happy if she gets 2As for English and Science or Mathematics.

4. On Nov 13, both my wife and I decided to be late for work to go to her school, meet her and see the official results which should come out at 10 am. Unfortunately the school decided to have a award ceremony and postponed the release of the results after 12 noon. Upset we took her back home. Looked like it was going to be a bad day for us.

5. We went back to the school at 12.30 pm. Saw a few female students crying while their parents and relatives (I supposed) trying to consoled them. I guessed these girls were upset for not getting the straight 5As they had expected. On the way to see her class teacher, we met her best friend Priyanka. Priyanka achieved 4As and 1C. I let my daughter and my wife collect the results from the teacher. I could not tell anything from the facial expressions. My daughter came to me and told me that she got 4As and 1B. I was stunned! I guessed that was why both of them did not show any facial expression.

6. We left the school in a state of shock. We were quickly joined by my other daughter, S Amira who just finished her Math SPM paper. She was also pleasantly suprised by the results. We decided to celebrate Safra's achievement at the Treats. On the way to the car, I told S Marsya to check her result slip again to make sure that the results was hers. Alhamdullillah, her name was clearly spelled out on the slip.

7. Alhamdullillah. I remember a verse which Allah says "Ud'uni astajib lakum" (Ask from Me, I will grant it!). Yes Allah has answered my prayers! S Marsya now knows that she could excell in her studies.

8. I decided to take an emergency leave for that day (though I continue my work from home)! I am still elated till now!

Negeri Umar Abd Aziz: A Short Ziarah

1. Pagi tadi saya terpaksa bergegas selesai solat subuh ke KLIA. Ada flight 7.30 pagi ke negeri Umar Abd Aziz. Semasa nak boarding terserempak Ustaz Abd Ghani Samsuddin, mantan YDP PUM.

2. Flying business class, buat saya teringat Umar. Ehsan host bayar flight. Masa flight tak perasan pula AGS duduk mana. Masa nak keluar tak nampak pula dia. Barangkali AGS fly economy sehumble Umar.

3. Keluar di Balai Ketibaan, saya pergi ke tandas dahulu. Selesai urusan penting, saya keluar mencari kenderaan host. Tak nampak pun. Yang saya ternampak hanyalah wira putih Pejabat Mufti Pulau Pinang.

4. Setelah lebih 10 minit mencari, saya kembali ke dalam Balai Ketibaan. Belum sempat saya selesai mendail nombor telefon host (bertanyakan pasal kenderaan), terdengar suara seorang lelaki bertanya di belakang saya "Prof......?" Saya menoleh dan mendapati seorang anak muda memegang kertas terpampang nama saya. Saya menjawab "Ya" dan memberi salam.

5. Sewaktu ke Innova host, saya bertanya si pemandu "Baru sampai ke dah lama sampai?" Pemandu berkata "Saya dah sampai tadi. Jumpa this guy. Saya tanya nama prof, dia jawab ya. Semasa dalam kereta, dia asyik bercerita nak pergi jumpa Mufti. Saya jadi pelik. Saya kata saya dari XXX. Saya tanya balik apakah dia prof ..... Baru dia kata bukan. So saya patah balik. Hah itu dia orangnya!"

Rupanya orang itu ialah AGS. (Hairan juga saya... biasanya dia pakai gelaran Sahibus Samahah!) Lantas saya mengusik "Mentang-mentanglah hangpa dapat CM Umar Abd Aziz, hang pun cepat angkut orang yang berkopiah atau songkok putih! Kalau macam ni, lain kali saya datang pakai kopiahlah!"

Tergelak si pemandu. Rupanya dia baru sebulan bekerja dengan host.

6. Bila saya cerita kat host, dia tersengeh berkata "Hang jangan buat lawaklah!!" Bila saya kata ia kejadian betul, dia pun tergelak "Lain kali hang mai, pakai kopiah no!"

Bila Pula Mak Long Jadi Ah Long?

(Catatan 1 Syawal Yang Tertinggal)

1. Tahun ini adik beradik saya berkumpul di rumah (arwah) emak di selesai solat Aidilfitri. Sejak beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini begitulah... Walaupun di rumah ini adik-adik yang masih bujang mendiami, kami masih anggap ia rumah emak!

2. Selesai berfoto dan bermaafan, Kak Long sekeluarga berangkat ke rumah mertua di Sengkang.

3. Setelah menolong mengemas apa yang patut, saya sekeluarga berangkat ke rumah mertua saya di Sri Ramunia. Dan seperti biasa kami perlu melalui depan rumah Kak Long.

Zaujah berkata "Slow down.. kalau Kak Long masih belum ke Sengkang, kita singgah berraya sat!"

Ternyata Kak Long dah berangkat terus dari rumah emak tanpa singgah di rumahnya. Dan kami terpandang iklan ini di depan rumahnya.....

Anak saya bertanya sambil ketawa "Sejak bila pula Mak Long jadi Ah Long?"

Kami pun ketawa bersama. Dan hati saya tertanya "Tak guna betul balaci Ah Long ni! Gantung iklan ini depan surau dan rumah Kak Long saya!"

Raya Suprises

1. Just a few days before Raya, I received a beautiful and ribboned bamboo basket. A gift (bottles of yummy cookies) with a SHR card from Haji Sidi Oraza. What a suprise? Wonder "Apa anginnya"? I have only met him twice if I am not mistaken. We went for haj in the same (late last) year but failed to "terserempak" while we were there.


2. A day before Raya while crossing the busy road in front of Pasar Muar (where I bought 2 lamb legs), I heard someone called my name. His voice seems familiar. I have heard that voice many many times since I was a little boy. Then I saw this old man on a kapcai passed by in front of me. He is no other than Pak Utih, my late mother's younger brother. Unfortunately he was unable to stop his kapcai along the very busy road and I only managed to say "Oh Pak Utih!".

I told myself and my siblings that I must visit him this Raya. Unfortunately I had to spend most of my Raya break in Batu Pahat. To my Pak Utih "Selamat Hariraya & Maaf Zahir Batin. Sorry for not being able to visit you this year!" Hopefully this Raya Haji.

3. I spent the last Ramadhan and the Eid morning at my late mum's house. For the last iftar, my beloved wife prepared an Irish Lamb Stew. I asked my sister and her family to join us. Her husband loves lamb stew very much ever since he tasted it at the KK Secret Recipe. Unfortunately, they had to attend their ketupat final preparation.

My brother bought French bread to go along with the stew. My goodness, it was so delicious that my "growing" niece almost ate it all. I had to remind her to save some for her dad and mum. My brother sent some to our sister and saved a small piece for his late supper. He must have like the stew too.

4. The Raya morning my wife cooked lamb beryani. "So sedapppp" too although she forgot to add salt to the rice.

And before my sister and her family left to Sengkang, she dropped a bombshell. She indicated that our younger brother may be ready to get hitched (to his latest girlfriend). His fiancee died in a freak road accident a few days before Raya 3 years ago. He has been so depressed since the incident as our mum had just passed away 3 weeks before that.

My sister's kids mentioned about this "Malay Union" thing which I don't really understand what was the underlaying story behind it. I just could not be bothered to ask for details. But I am looking forward for "A Malay (Couple) ReUnion" as soon as possible.


5. 2nd raya we went to visit my wife's uncles and aunts. We learned that one of the uncles has been elected as an imam. What a suprise said one of the aunts.

6. We also learned that an unstable man hanged himself in Sri Medan Mosque on the last day of Ramadhan. I have never heard such case before i.e. a man hangs himself in a mosque.